I've learned that if the tent rainfly goes to the ground in all corners then it will be much better for winter.

Next tent deployment is fixed in an open pasture srrounded by mixed pine and oak forest. I can only use what I bring to insulate, rainproof, or windproof the tent - no foraging or alternate site selection. It is forecast to rain for the two-and-a-half-day event and for temperature to range from the low 50s to the low 30's.

The good news is that I have a full-ride scholarship to the survival skill session!

I may be spending a night in a debris hut.

[Why do I keep thinking of pom-poms?]

Another thing for the cold weather is a down air pad, Exped makes an awesome pad, expensive, light weight,built in pump,very compact, durable and very warm. If you have a good down bag like a Western Mountaineering or Feathered Friends and a good down air pad like exped, you can be really comfortable when the temps pull down. I'm currently visiting up in the smoky mountain area right now with temps dropping down to 14 degrees here and everything you can do to limit heat loss definitely makes life bearable.

I've tried a colman propane heater in the tent but at low temps, it was useless. I only had one of the hand held ones, I know Northern tools sells bigger ones that may work, but then you get into serious Carbon Dioxide Poison if you are not careful. I can't remember what we used in the military but we rented a big propane burner from special services and used it in a 10 man tent and it was -5 F outside and 90F inside but it was big and bulky and consumed a lot of fuel.



http://www.rei.com/product/780366



http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200332707_200332707

I run a "sheepherder" type tin wood stove in a 14" x 16" wall tent when moose hunting. If you are not careful it puts out so much heat that you cannot stand it.

I have used double layer Canadian Forces Artic tents in very cold weather, the double mantle naptha lantern takes the chill off until it was time to sleep. We also run a naptha stove inside to cook but the tent is well vented. The sleeping system is excellent and I always slept well, unless I rolled off the pad onto the tarp over the snow, then it got cold fast.

Mike

I really want a kifaru set up.

A supertarp with annex and a small stove.

i talked to a fellow at a canoe group meeting who had done some winter treks thru canoe country in winter at sub zero temps.he said they just found a sheltered place to camp and kicked up a wind break and slept under tarps without making fires.meals were simple and cooked on camp stoves.the sleeping pads and new bags were all they needed to stay warm.he said if you made a fire you hung around it too long so they had quick breakfasts and moved out on skis and that kept them warm.a friend who i did some hut camping with in cold weather had also winter camped with just a tarp set up as a lean to.he also felt that the modern sleeping bags along with poly fluff pants,soxs and shirt were enough to stay warm at sub zero.he also liked the idea of being out in the open,the only "bad" part he said was the early darkness as you can only hold up in a sleeping bag reading for so long.
for survival i would make a snow cave where the temps inside can be well above freezing..think igloo-however--with sleeping bags only rated for summer/fall temps and without true winter clothes i would want whatever i could get into a tent to warm it up.most tents have a vent so you could run a stove or lamp and tents were made with cook holes in the floor for a stove...this is running on--so as a last bit at 1:20 AM i'll say that i have done the hot rock trick.on a very cold fall canoe trip with sleet and rain i heated several bread loaf size rocks very hot and put them on top of a few small rocks to get them off the ground inside the vestibule of my tent with it closed up and the door open and that warmed the inside enough to get comfortable and pull things together before getting into the bag fully dressed in fresh dry clothes..i have to stop doing these posts so late at nite--more and more thoughts run past me----

Don't feel like the Lone Ranger!

I know the bottom line is keep the bod warm and all will be well. Maybe I will try the tarp, lean-to thing this winter; that's what I started with many years ago and it worked fine. Only problem I see is that I was used to using a fire to reflect heat into the lean-to and most places I go you cannot have open fires anymore.

The army used to use a "yukon stove" to heat it's 10 man and more tents.

It's essentially an "any" fuel stove. The tent must have an appropriate vent for the stove pipe to go through.

The stove itself is the height of simplicity. It's essentially a large steel box with fron legs, the back is supported by the stove pope which goes to the ground. If you are using kerosene or gas a burner is included as well as a fuel line. Fuel stays outside. Heats the tent rather nicely as I recall.

If you run out of liquid fuel, you take the burner out, close off the hole it sits in and you can burn wood,charcoal, coal, dirty sox, whatever.

The standard 5 gallon jerry can would last about a day if the stove was used minimally during the day and shut off about 8 at night. You more or less must have a fire guard awake and in the tent while the stove is in operation.

Not suited to backpacking. Weighs a ton, as does the fuel.

Sorry for not making that clear: Heating the tent is NOT for sleeping, it is for making life enjoyable and dry. One of the great comforts of life is drying your clothes after a long day... starting the next day with dry clothes.

When sleeping, I agree the winter sleeping bag takes care of the comfort.

I suppose the "great way to die"-comment is related to carbon monoxide. It poses a very real threat, but that treat is eliminated COMPLETELY by making sure there is ventilation - and it is not a good idea to "leave the heat on" when you go to sleep. That rule applies to ALL burners and stoves (wood, white gas, parafin). Doesn't matter what fabric the tent is made of, ventilation is ventilation.


Lots of other good advice in this thread. (Get adequate sleeping pad + sleeping bag, a nice, warm meal before bed time and so on).


I really don't understand what appears to be standard tent in America: A separate rainfly which goes over the proper tent (which is not waterproof). Must be a bastard to put up that rainfly in high winds... and doesn't really lend itself to being the most windproof design once erected. But hey, that's probably just because I've never tried it.

The rainfly arrangement works quite well, and has done so for years - one of the reasons it is so popular. Most fit quite tightly, and are not a problem in high winds. They give solid rain protection, good ventilation, and just a smidgen more insulation.

I am talking of the full coverage rainflys, not the dainty handkerchiefs that some cheap tent provide.

Some tents now have the ability to pitch the rainfly separately from the tent, if weight is a concern.